Social studies teachers live with the unintended consequences of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act every day. They understand that the law has created flawed incentives for states and school districts to narrow their curricula to English and math. This fundamentally misguided practice leaves out core disciplines that are essential to a…

Academic freedom is the freedom to inquire--to study, learn, teach, express, and debate ideas. Academic freedom is essential to education in a democracy, a professional responsibility of teachers, and the fundamental purpose for social education. These ideas occur in the traditional education literature. Academic freedom is not just a professional…